STOP COUNCIL BLEACHING OUR OCEAN POOL KILLING OUR WILDLIFE

Our beautiful Northern Beaches 'Newport Beach Pool' was teaming with 'marine life': Octopus, Sea Snails Sea Slugs, Crabs, Barnacles and variety of colorful fishes including the kids much loved 'Bluey' the Wrasse; which provided a safe haven of 'natural rock, and colourful Corals, Sponges and Grasses habitats for all these animals, The animals who reside in proximity of the pool are Sea Eagles, Kites, Cormorants variety species, Silvergulls, Terns, Willey Wagtails, Ravens etc. All these animals are 100%.reliant on each others natural food chain for a healthy balanced life cycle. But their food source and lives are negatively impacted suffering detrimental consequences when the council pours bleaching cleaner on and in the ocean pool resulting detrimental effects on our marine life and residing co-dependant animals. 

On Thursday 22nd September 2016 the Newport Pool had been cleaned with chemcals again as the algae on the far end top wall and steps was gone but still slimy residue.  The chemical was clearly visible as a cloudy bleach and the odor was obvious. The next day another local swimmer - again - saw a dead  octopus in the pool - and  6-8 weeks ago my swimming buddy again  found 4 dead Octopus on the same day after the pool clean. This is a serious concern.

Our community is distressed to learn of our Pittwater Council using chemicals on and into our community pool  every week to try to rid algae. There are safer alternatives that does not sicken and kill both our marine and surrounding wildlife such as opting to use cost efficient "water pressure hosing and scrubbing broom" AND allowing the sea snails and other marine life to regenerate back into the pool to eat the algae as nature intended..

Using the chemical has obviously affected the marine life that lived in the pool even the coral and sponges look lifeless and the grass beds bleached sick! Bluey is gone and so are the fishes.  Many fishes and octupuses have been seen by locals including myself "lying dead" on the bottom of the pool - as this one in this picture. It is also VIP to note the gulp of Cormorants which used the pool to fish in and surrounding beach are declining. As the marine life skin and calcified shells are porous the chemicals enduce a painful, sickening slow death - the predatory birds and animals who eat the sea snails, crabs and fishes also succumb to falling ill from eating poisioned marine life.

The chemical bleach no matter how diluted affects the pool and sea life inhabitants negatively. Our community swimmers and babies, young children, elderly and auto-immune suppressed individuals such as asthma, hyper/hypo thyroid, lupus, ms, chronic fatigue,cancer and arthritis are too at risk! People who opt to swim in sea pools over chlorinated pools prefer the purity and health of sea water.

VIP Recreational fisherman's health is also in danger as they ingest the bleached soaked marine life - Newport Beach has a current which cycles around and around dispersing the chemicals. The animals who travel back and forth to the reef from the perimeter of the outside of the pool are also at peril at the and risk of infecting other marine life including predatory animals such as larger fishes cod and wrasse, rays and sharks, cormorants,sea eagles and kites.

PLEASE SIGN this Petition to Demand the Pittwater Council to stop using chemicals period; and opt to use our tax dollars in an eco-friendly cost effective method of harmless "water pressure hosing and scrubbing broom" to help preserve and protect our marine life animals from demis and to protect the residents and visitors who swim in the pool Thank you:-)

**Newport Community Residents are most grateful for your support helping us to protect and preserve our precious, vulnerable marine and wildlife